My “Golden Child” Brother Gambled Away My Dying Grandma’s $200,000 Life Savings. My Parents Are Now Paying For His Defense While Calling Me A Traitor For Filing A Lawsuit. Am I The Jerk For Refusing To Forgive Him?

She said she had documentation of suspicious transfers from an elderly woman’s accounts and she was investigating potential exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Dad stood there for another minute, then finally unlocked the door but blocked the entrance with his body. He said he was only letting her in because he insisted on being present for any conversation with Kyle.

Detective Moore nodded and said that was fine and stepped inside. She was maybe 40, with short brown hair, and wore plain clothes with a badge clipped to her belt. She looked around the room taking in the crying people and the clear division of the family into two groups. She introduced herself and asked where she could set up to review documentation.

Dad pointed to the dining room table and said she could use that but he was staying right there the whole time. Detective Moore agreed and walked to the dining room. She pulled out a notebook and her phone. She asked Ella to start by walking her through the banking documentation.

Ella sat down across from her and laid out all the bank statements in order. She explained the timeline of transfers, starting in January. $50,000 transferred from Grandma’s account to Kyle’s personal account on January 10th. The same 50,000 transferred to Bet King Casino 3 hours later. Another 30,000 on January 25th. 40,000 on February 3rd. 25,000 on February 18th.

She went through every single transaction with dates and amounts. Detective Moore took notes and photographed each document with her phone. She asked Ella to explain the correlation between transfer dates and Grandma’s medical appointments. Ella pulled out a calendar she’d made showing that Kyle transferred money on the same days he was supposedly taking Grandma to doctor visits or picking up her medications.

Detective Moore photographed the calendar too. She asked about Grandma’s living conditions during this time period. Ella explained that Grandma complained about being cold because Kyle said the heating bill was too expensive. She ate generic food because Kyle said organic was too costly. She wore the same clothes for months because Kyle said new ones weren’t in the budget.

All while he was transferring thousands of dollars every week to gambling sites. Detective Moore turned to Kyle and asked him to explain the transfers from his grandmother’s account to his personal account and then to the gambling sites.

Kyle sat up straighter and wiped his eyes, then said Grandma knew exactly what he was doing with the money and she approved of his investment strategy. He claimed she understood that he was trying to grow her savings so there would be more for everyone when she passed away.

Detective Moore asked if he had any written documentation of his grandmother’s approval for these transfers, and Kyle shook his head and said it was all verbal agreements between him and Grandma during their private conversations. He said she trusted him completely and didn’t need everything in writing because they had a special relationship.

My dad nodded along like this made perfect sense, and Mom squeezed Kyle’s shoulder supportively. I couldn’t stay quiet anymore and interrupted to point out that Grandma had early dementia during the final 6 months, which was documented in all her medical records from the neurologist.

Detective Moore looked at me and asked if I had copies of those medical records, and I said I could get them from the doctor’s office. Uncle Robert jumped in and added that this was exactly why Kyle pushed so hard for power of attorney, claiming he wanted to protect Grandma from confusion and mistakes with her finances. He said Kyle told the whole family that Grandma was getting forgetful and needed someone responsible to handle her bills and banking.

Kyle’s face went red and he said that wasn’t fair, that he got power of attorney because Grandma asked him to help her because she was stressed about managing everything. Detective Moore made notes and asked Kyle directly if he transferred approximately $200,000 from his grandmother’s accounts to online gambling sites between January and June.

Kyle looked at my dad, who was already pulling out his phone. Kyle said he wanted to consult an attorney before answering any more questions and that he didn’t feel comfortable continuing this conversation without legal representation. My parents immediately started calling their lawyer friend who handles real estate closings, and Mom was saying they needed him to come over right away because Kyle was interrogated without proper legal counsel.

Detective Moore said calmly that Kyle had every right to speak with an attorney and she respected that decision. She explained that the documented evidence speaks for itself regardless of whether Kyle provides additional statements, and that the banking records and transaction history create a clear timeline of the financial exploitation.

Dad kept trying to reach the lawyer while Mom hovered over Kyle, telling him not to say another word until they had proper representation there. Detective Moore gathered her notes and photographs and said she had enough documentation to move forward with her investigation. She handed me her card and said to contact her if I obtained Grandma’s medical records or any other relevant documentation.

Uncle Robert walked her to the door and thanked her for coming so quickly. After she left, my parents started yelling at me and Uncle Robert for bringing police into a private family matter and making Kyle look like a criminal.

The next week was a mess of phone calls and secret meetings as Uncle Robert coordinated with other relatives who wanted answers about what happened to Grandma’s money. He called everyone in the family individually and asked what Kyle had told them about Grandma’s expenses and medical care.

We discovered that Kyle told different family members completely different stories about where the money was going, and none of the numbers added up at all. He told one aunt that Grandma needed a special medication that cost $3,000 per month. He told another uncle that Grandma’s house needed major repairs including a new roof and foundation work. He told a cousin that Grandma wanted to prepay her funeral expenses and buy a premium burial plot.

Every story was different, and when we added up all the amounts Kyle claimed to have spent, it came to way more than the 200,000 that actually disappeared.

Aunt Linda took charge of tracking down Grandma’s actual medical bills and household expenses from the final 6 months. She called every doctor’s office, pharmacy, and service provider that Grandma used. She got copies of bills for medical appointments, prescriptions, home health aids, utilities, and groceries. She made a spreadsheet with every single expense documented and verified.

The total came to maybe $30,000 for everything, which meant Kyle gambled away at least 170,000 that had absolutely nothing to do with Grandma’s care. When Aunt Linda showed me the spreadsheet, I felt sick looking at how little Kyle actually spent on Grandma compared to what he stole.